Virginia SOL 4.PS.1.d.iii
The Standard
make inferences about data represented in line graphs
Virginia Standards of Learning for Mathematics · The student will apply the data cycle (formulate questions; collect or acquire data; organize and represent data; and analyze data and communicate results) with a focus on line graphs.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students read line graphs to notice changes, patterns, and trends over time. They make reasonable inferences and explain those ideas aloud or in writing with evidence from the graph.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students identify patterns such as increases, decreases, steady periods, and turning points. They make a reasonable inference and support it with specific values, intervals, or comparisons from the graph.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may report a single data point instead of making an inference. They may ignore the graph’s scale, assume every change is steady, or state a conclusion without evidence.
How to Assess It
- Give students a line graph showing plant heights of 4, 7, 9, and 9 centimeters across four weeks. Ask, “What can you infer about the plant’s growth, and which data support your answer?”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Groups measure cooling water every five minutes, create a line graph, then write one inference supported by two recorded temperatures.
Display a line graph and ask, “What probably happened during the sharpest change, and what graph evidence supports your idea?”
Play Evidence Match by pairing inference cards with line graphs, then have students point to the data that justify each match.
Graph a week of playground temperatures and ask students to recommend the best day for outdoor activities using two data points.
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Printable 4.PS.1.d.iii Worksheet
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Related Standards
- 3.PS.1.e.iii
make inferences about data represented in pictographs and bar graphs;
- 2.PS.1.e.ii
draw conclusions about the data and make predictions based on the data.
- 1.PS.1.g.ii
draw conclusions about the data and make predictions based on the data.
- 5.PS.1.e.ii
make inferences about data represented in line plots (dot plots) and stem-and-leaf plots (e.g., based on a line plot (dot plot) of the number of books students ...
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